RCMP Watch

Sarah Kennedy, Calgary Sun

Retired RCMP officers in Alberta will soon have the opportunity to take back their badges.

Following the success of a pilot project in B.C., RCMP in Alberta will be setting up a reserve of retired officers to fill in at times when staffing is stretched, said Cpl. Wayne Oakes.

“It’s safe to say the program is in the latter stages of planning and development,” said Oakes.

“This was launched in B.C. as a pilot project and now it’s spreading across the force.

“Other divisions will now have opportunity to implement lessons learned.”

Oakes said it will be up to the provincial program to determine where the needs are, but it’s expected the reserve officers will fill vacancies created by vacations and maternity leave, along with providing relief during major events and emergency situations across Alberta.

“As with pretty much any business today, there will always be times there’s a need for extra resources,” said Oakes.

“This will be an opportunity to have those resources available.”

Regardless of the officer’s rank at the time of retirement, reserve officers would be brought back and paid at the rank of senior constable, said Oakes.

Oakes said they won’t be able to gauge the interest level of the retired officers until the program is in place.

“It will be interesting to see what the feedback will be from these folks,” he said.

Although it’s the larger cities in Alberta that tend to keep police busiest, Oakes said the program will not be limited to the major centres.

“This will be a province-wide initiative,” he said.